# Tag Info

## New answers tagged logarithm

4

I have my college algebra students create slide rules each semester. Key pedagogical question: What is the point of having an algebra student construct a slide rule? Possible answers: The goal is to convince the students that things like $\log 5$ are real numbers. If you ask a student what $\log 5$ is, you often get the answer that it is a function, or a ...

7

(too-long comment) I think it's a nice adjunct, but I would not introduce the topic that way. Introduce it after teaching of rational (math meaning) exponents and roots in a rational (well thought out meaning) progression. I.e. on the board, with some discussion of concepts they learned in exponents that are also used in logarithms. In addition to the ...

8

but I wonder if those who have, ever bring in to the classroom slide rules as "props"? In the Olden Days (before hand-held calculators) I remember that we had (at Ohio State) a big demonstration slide rule. It was maybe 6 feet long, on a stand with wheels. So the instructor would wheel it in to the front of the classroom, and demonstrate calculations on ...

11

A few thoughts: Joe Pasquale from UCSD has done similar things: https://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~pasquale/SlideRuleTalkLasVegas14.pdf and https://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~pasquale/FreshmanSeminarF03/ If the students have basic science training, they've already internalized scientific notation and base 10 logs, ex: $10^2 \times 10^3 = 10^5$. That's a simpler version of ...

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